Known in the art is a chemical method for the determination of hydrogen content, for example, in blast-furnace slag, which is based on determination of the amount of carbon dioxide produced upon reduction of water contained in the slags according to the following reactions: EQU 2H.sub.2 O+2C=2CO+2H.sub.2 EQU 2H.sub.2 +2CuO=2H.sub.2 O+2Cu EQU 2H.sub.2 O+CaC.sub.2 =Ca(OH).sub.2 +C.sub.2 H.sub.2 EQU C.sub.2 H.sub.2 +5CuO=2CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O+5Cu.
However, this is not a versatile method, since it is suitable only for blast-furnace slags, is labour-consuming and takes a long time of from 4 to 6 hours. The greatest difficulties are encountered in the determination of hydrogen content in fluorine-containing slags, wherefrom from which hydrogen can be evolved upon heating in the form of H.sub.2, H.sub.2 O and HF. In order to avoid losses, the total combined hydrogen content should be converted to free hydrogen. Very complicated transformations are used for analysis of fluorine-containing slags in a current of oxygen at the temperature of 1,200.degree. C. which, apart from complicating the analytical procedure, cause possible errors.
Also known in the art is a method for the determination of hydrogen in oxide melts which involves melting a sample at the temperature of 1,600.degree. C. in an inert gas current. The water liberated from the slag and carried-off by the gas current is passed to, for example, a quartz pipe filled with ferromolybdenum, wherein it is reduced to hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The amount of hydrogen is determined by one of the conventional methods such as by chromatography. This method is rather complicated and labour-consuming and takes about 1-2 hours for the determination.
Another known method for the determination of hydrogen content in metals involves melting of a metal sample in a graphite crucible placed into an electrode pulse furnace at a temperature within the range from 1,800.degree. to 3,000.degree. C. Melting of the metal sample is effected in a current of a carrier gas intended for delivering the evolved hydrogen to the site of its quantitative recording, for example a thermal conductivity sensor.
In the use of this method for the determination of hydrogen amount in slags (due to the fact that hydrogen in slags is in the form of water) there occurs an incomplete reduction of water to hydrogen due to a continuous removal of water vapours from the reaction zone and, consequently, lowered results are obtained in the determination of hydrogen.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such a method for the determination of hydrogen content which makes it possible to determine the amount of hydrogen in inorganic materials, for example slags, with maximum possible accuracy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a method which makes it possible to determine the amount of hydrogen in inorganic materials, for example slags, within the shortest possible time and at minimum possible labour expenses.